Author, Public Historian & Educator; Expert on African American History & Women's Studies; Author of "Ida B. the Queen"
Michelle Duster Biography
Michelle Duster is an author, public historian, and educator whose work focuses on racial and gender equity, African American history, and women's studies. Throughout a career spanning more than three decades, Duster has highlighted and documented the contributions of African Americans and women to United States history, including those of her paternal great-grandmother, Ida B. Wells. A native of Chicago, Duster earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Dartmouth College and a Master of Arts in media studies from The New School in New York City.
Duster describes her mission as working to "unerase Black women." She has contributed to the fields of public history, cultural education, and social justice through writing, editing, and contributing to numerous articles and more than 20 books. Her work extends to monuments, historical markers, murals, statues, documentary films, and film festivals, all aimed at telling stories that have often been omitted or marginalized. The first two decades of her career were in advertising, marketing, and program coordination before she shifted her focus to writing and public history. Duster serves as a columnist and cultural education editor for Rebellious Magazine for Women and has written for Ms. Magazine, TIME, Essence, HuffPost, The Hill, Teen Vogue, People, Glamour, Daily Beast, and North Star.
Duster's published works include "Ida B. the Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells," a historical account of Ida B. Wells's impact on civil rights and social justice, and "Ida B. Wells, Voice of Truth," a picture book biography. She also co-edited the anthologies "Impact: Personal Portraits of Activism" and "Michelle Obama's Impact on African American Women and Girls." Duster has contributed to PBS documentary films and has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, WTTW, CBS, and CW, as well as on various radio programs.
Duster's advocacy has resulted in tangible changes in the public landscape. She was part of the committee that commissioned sculptor Richard Hunt to create the Light of Truth: Ida B. Wells National Monument in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood. Duster was also involved in renaming Congress Parkway to Ida B. Wells Drive, marking the first time a downtown Chicago street was named after a woman or person of color. She has consulted on projects with Mattel for the Ida B. Wells doll and with the United States Mint for the design of the Ida B. Wells quarter. Duster spoke at the White House alongside President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the signing of the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act.
Duster has received numerous awards, including the Jean S. Hunt Historian Award from Chicago Women's History Center, the Living Legacy Award from ASALH, the Ripple Effect Award from Public Narrative, the Multi-Generational Activist Award from the Illinois Human Rights Commission, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Social Justice Award from Dartmouth College. Duster was selected as a HistoryMaker of African American Civic Leaders, with her oral history interview archived at the Library of Congress. She leads the Ida B. Wells Memorial Foundation, which awards scholarships to students at Rust College and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and supports the Ida B. Wells-Barnett Museum in Holly Springs, Mississippi.
Michelle Duster Speaking Topics
-
Make an Impact: Lessons from Ida B. Wells and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The combined lifespans of these two leaders is over one hundred years of struggle for freedom, justice, and racial equality. Their lives overlapped by two years, so one can think that Wells passed the activist baton to King. Although they were two generations apart, they have a lot in common. Michelle Duster highlights the similarities between these two activists and offers suggestions on how today’s leaders can make an impact by adopting some of the strategies used by Wells and King.
-
Ida B. Wells & Today's Street Journalism
Information included in the mainstream media has historically been told through an overwhelmingly white male lens. As a result, the perspectives and realities of African Americans tend to be overlooked, skewed, or erased. In order to combat this, some have taken initiative to report their own realities. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Ida B. Wells took control, countered false narratives, and chronicled the realities of lynchings and riots during her time. A century later, the African American community is still impacted by racial inequality and state-sanctioned violence. Writer, speaker, educator, Michelle Duster, will discuss how her paternal great-grandmother, Ida B. Wells pioneered data journalism and how that tradition contributes to truth and justice.
Michelle Duster Videos
Michelle Duster, great-granddaughter of Ida B. Wells (Full Stream 2/1)
Ida B. Wells was a suffragist, civil rights activist and pioneering journalist who chronicled the lynching of Black Americans in her reporting. On...
-
How do I book Michelle Duster to speak at my event?
Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Michelle Duster for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Michelle Duster, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Michelle Duster or any other speaker of your choice. -
What are the speaker fees for Michelle Duster
Speaking fees for Michelle Duster, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Michelle Duster are under $10,000 for live events and under $10,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Michelle Duster, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent. -
What topics does Michelle Duster speak about?
Michelle Duster is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Anti-Racism, Author, Bestselling Authors, Black Heritage, Black History Month, College, Diversity & Inclusion, Education, Educational Motivational, Social Activism -
Where does Michelle Duster travel from?
Michelle Duster generally travels from Chicago, IL, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent. -
Who is Michelle Duster’s agent?
AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Michelle Duster for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Michelle Duster for your next private or corporate function. -
What is a full-service speaker booking agency?
AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Michelle Duster or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us. -
Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?
If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.
Michelle Duster is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Make an Impact: Lessons from Ida B. Wells and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Ida B. Wells & Today's Street Journalism , From 1919 Black Awakening to 2021 Black Lives Matter Movement, African American Suffragists and the Struggle for Inclusion, Ida B. Wells and Family Legacy of Determination, Education & Agitation and Preserve and Celebrate Your Own History of Family, Community or Institutions. The estimated speaking fee range to book Michelle Duster for your event is available upon request. Michelle Duster generally travels from Chicago, IL, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Yoruba Richen, Xernona Clayton, Dr. Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins, Alaina E. Roberts and Boyah J. Farah. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Michelle Duster for an upcoming live or virtual event.
This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.
All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.
If you are the talent and wish to request a profile update or removal from our online directory, please submit a profile request form.








